Hope Rekindled
by The Dark Lady
Summary: The Gundam pilots find themselves in a middle of a war and the preventers are devestated by merciless attacks. There's a bit of everything in this fic... enjoy!


Hope Rekindled  
Part 1  
  
The distant lights haunted his thoughts, taking his concentration from him and all awareness of the people around him. His hand ran absently over the blade of his sword, tracing intricate patterns on the cool metal. Another burst of light caught his attention and his dark eyes watched as it faded against the night sky only to be followed by yet another display. The magnificent illuminations were accompanied by a tremendous noise, echoing in his ears, deafening him momentarily. The faint smell of dust mixed with smoke drifted over the hilltop, waking him from his hypnotic trance. He took a deep breath of the stagnant air and ran a strong hand over his black hair which was tied tightly back. Small, unattended wisps fell from his scalp, tickling his temples and cheeks. He turned from the scene and walked silently towards a looming object that towered far above him.   
As he approached, a figure appeared from behind the giant war-machine, dressed in black, with braided brown hair that hung down his back and a massive smile on his face.   
"Hey! Wufei! What's up?" he called in a strong American accent that made Wufei's toes curl. He rolled his eyes as he saw the American waiting for him. 'Just what I need.' He thought. 'Duo Maxwell to come 'cheer' me up!' Duo clapped Wufei on the back with a hand as he passed by making Wufei reel forward. He halted and glared at the happy young man who also stopped, seeing the Chinese man's stern expression.  
"What?" he attempted to give Wufei an innocent look.  
Wufei snorted, glancing back at the continuing displays of light. "The bombing raids are continuing, soon there won't be much left of the city or the surrounding area. We should attack now!" he was annoyed because the other Gundam pilots had decided to sit idly by as the nearby city of Venice was destroyed by invading forces attempting to gain power. He was resolute that if there was more inaction he would take care of the enemy forces by himself. Justice had to be served.  
"C'mon, Wu-man! You know Heero; he has his reasons for not doing something. They're usually good reasons too!" Duo tried to calm the irate man down but it just served to irritate him further.  
"He passes judgement for all of us now!?! I say we fight!" he waved Duo off and climbed up into his awaiting Gundam, Nataku. He and his customised Altron had yearned for battle for months now but they always had to hold back because of orders from Heero Yuy. He found the entire idea of following Heero ridiculous. While the Japanese boy was a brilliant warrior, he was somewhat self-destructive, which didn't suit the way Wufei and Nataku worked.  
The hatched closed behind Wufei as he flicked a few switches and looked at a monitor showing the damage to Venice. There was an extreme amount of damage to the major buildings and there were many civilian casualties.  
"Have they no honour?" Wufei growled, pulling on the controls, making Nataku lift from the ground. He saw Duo scampering for safety behind his own Gundam, Deathscythe Hell. The Altron swept down across the land, speeding towards the city that was in ruins.  
  
Duo ran clumsily towards the make shift camp the five Gundam pilots had set up a few weeks ago, coughing up the dust he had inhaled when Wufei had rushed off to fight. A small, blonde haired boy saw him coming and met him just outside the encampment. Duo tried to gasp out some words but only succeeded in throwing spittle in the worried boy's face. The awful noise he was making attracted the attention of Trowa and Heero who had been distracted from their important duty. Sitting in silence.   
"What's wrong?" the blonde asked, rubbing Duo's back.  
The American straightened, clearing his throat. "Quatre..." he grabbed the blonde boy's collar. "It's Wufei! He's gone mad!" He paused, thinking it was a usual occurrence, before continuing. "He's taken his Gundam to the city, he's gonna engage the enemy!" he blurted out in one breath. Quatre gasped, trying to free himself from Duo's vice like grip.  
Heero turned and headed towards his Gundam, Trowa close behind him.  
"I knew you guys would say that!" Duo shouted at them. After releasing Quatre he ran back to Deathscythe Hell, despising the fact that he had to run so much.  
Within the short space of time it took for Duo to prep Deathsythe and launch into the air, the three Gundams; Wing Zero, Custom Heavyarms and Custom Sandrock had already sped past, attempting to intercept the Chinese pilot before he got himself into trouble.   
A harsh beeping in the cockpit of his Gundam warned Duo that enemy Mobile Suits were aware of their presence. He turned Deathscythe Hell around and saw, what appeared to be, two red Aries advancing on him. Activating his scythe, he swung it out in front of him, making the two mobile suits hesitate.  
"Need a hand Duo?" came Quatre's voice over the intercom.  
Duo smiled. "Nah, you just stop hot-head Wufei, OK?" with that he thrusted forward while the two Aries separated, trying to divide his attention. Unfortunately for them Duo was used to the manoeuvre and swung his scythe around him in response. The first of the Aries was sliced in half, sparks were sent flying from the severed wires within the metal monster. The second Aries avoided the attack, firing its rifle to no effect. Duo let out a laugh as he turned on his opponent, swinging his weapon wildly. The rifle arm of the opposing mobile suit dropped to the ground below them, followed shortly by the head. Duo quickly returned to following his comrades after savouring the victory of battle.  
  
Amongst the rubble, the Preventer's newly built base of operations crumbled under the force of explosions. Civilians and Preventers alike ran for cover, some crushed by falling rubble. The buildings had only been erected one month ago, the base commander proud of the facility. Now she knelt, huddled over an unmoving body. The unconscious form belonged to a young man, newly transferred to the base. The base commander felt responsible for the boy's injuries, even though it was not her fault that he had panicked and run straight under a cascade of falling debris. She pushed away several pieces of concrete from his body, as if removing the cause of his pain would remove the damage it had done.  
A hand rested on the commander's shoulder, startling her. She seemed to recognise the familiar warmth of the hand and did not turn. The boy in front of her shuddered uncontrollably, inhaling ragged breaths of dusty air. As she laid her palm on his chest she could feel him take his last breath before his body gave up the struggle to hold on to life. The commander sighed, closing her eyes and letting her head sag.  
"Noin, there's nothing you could have done." A strong, deep voice came from behind her. The hand lifted, slipping, with an accompanying hand under her arms and lifting gently. Noin allowed herself to be pulled to her feet but she continued to stare at the lifeless corpse. The same strong hands grasped her shoulders and turned her around, ice blue eyes staring into her own dark blue eyes.  
"We must leave, it is too dangerous." The voice was firm but gentle.  
Lucrezia Noin took a long, deep breath, mentally shaking herself into a suitable condition to take command of the situation.  
"Milliardo..." she wanted to say so much to him but his name would have to suffice for that moment. She backed out of his grasp and turned, stepping over the body of the young man. Her Preventer outfit was smothered in dust and was soiled with patches of blood. Her short dark hair, which was usually always kept neat, was straggly and unkempt.   
Milliardo watched her climb over the debris as he pushed long blonde hair out of his face. She looked amazingly beautiful and graceful still, even after the ordeal she was going through. Milliardo doubted that he had escaped so luckily. He followed Noin as she made a path through the destroyed base, always aware of another bombing raid that could be made at any moment. Once he had caught up with the distraught commander he strode silently beside her, glancing at her occasionally.   
  
The blazing fires below cast an eerie light on the speeding Altron as it passed over the ruined city. Wufei knew the other Gundam pilots would be coming after him very shortly, if they weren't already, but he couldn't merely watch dishonourable acts being committed. It seemed Nataku and him were the only ones who would serve justice and let the hundreds of civilians killed rest in peace.  
Nataku shook as it was hit by a wave of bullets, fired by a hidden enemy. Several mobile suits had ambushed him from the rubble beneath him, surprising the Chinese pilot. He quickly turned the Altron and released a claw, which crushed the head of a red Aries. Just as Wufei was about to attack the remaining aggressors they hastily fled. He decided not to follow them, instead turning his attention on the cause of their retreat. Three familiar Gundams neared him and he briefly considered leaving the area but his stubbornness and pride wouldn't allow him.  
An angry voice came over the communications intercom from the Gundam that appeared a small distance behind the three swiftly advancing pilots.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Wufei!?! You're gonna blow this entire operation!"  
Wufei pulled heavily on the controls of Nataku, making the huge Gundam turn suddenly. He calmly spoke into the two-way radio. "This operation is already 'blown', Maxwell. I am merely fixing the damage done by our inaction." With that the Altron sped away from them and was lost from sight amongst the ruined buildings and clouds of smoke.  
Duo cursed under his breath as he caught up with his fellow pilots. They weren't following Wufei, which puzzled him.   
"What's going on? Why aren't you trying to stop him?" the American asked.  
At first there was silence but finally the cold voice of Heero Yuy came over the intercom, his tone almost monotonous.  
"Maybe he's right. Our current mission to find the leaders of the attacking fascist group has not been strategised accurately and our contact has apparently miscalculated. The civilian losses and casualties are unacceptable, something must now be done."  
Duo nodded in agreement, somehow the words, coming from Heero and not Wufei, seemed more logical and thought out. He manipulated his Gundam so it sped after the others who were now following Wufei, not to stop him, but to join him.  
  
End of Part 1  
  
Note: I do not own any part of Gundam wing; gundams nor characters so please don't sue!!!  
Anyway, what do you guys think? I'd appreciate it if you review this but it doesn't really bother me. As long as you enjoy it! :0)  



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